X
- 1984
- R
- Cinecom Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
- 1984
- R
- Cinecom Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
Summary A mute alien with the appearance of a black human is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem.
Directed By: John Sayles
Written By: John Sayles
- 1984
- R
- Cinecom Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
- 1984
- R
- Cinecom Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
The Brother from Another Planet
70
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
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Where to Watch
Summary A mute alien with the appearance of a black human is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem.
Directed By: John Sayles
Written By: John Sayles
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
70
81% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
19% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
70
81% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
19% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The Brother From Another Planet is brilliant science-fiction with a social conscience. It goes to worlds where men, some of them anyway, have never gone before. And all they really ever had to do was take the A-Train. [16 Nov 1984, p.21]
The Brother from Another Planet profoundly illustrates, modern life is more unfair than it needs to be….It may not be the perfect John Sayles film, the perfect science fiction movie or the perfect film about black life — but it manages to seamlessly mix wit, slapstick, poignancy and politics.
The Brother from Another Planet profoundly illustrates, modern life is more unfair than it needs to be….It may not be the perfect John Sayles film, the perfect science fiction movie or the perfect film about black life — but it manages to seamlessly mix wit, slapstick, poignancy and politics.
Thankfully a sharp cast and goofy wit mostly keep the movie light on its feet.
Central to the film's deft balancing act between shaggy dog humour and something just a little more serious is Morton's expressive performance as the alien, though the rest of the cast also plays admirably.
The two different ends require shifts in point of view that are beyond Sayles's talent as a visual storyteller, and the film does not cohere. Yet many of the individual scenes are charming, funny, and pointed, and the movie gives off Sayles's usual glow of goodwill.
Pic is essentially a series of behavioral vignettes, and many of them are genuinely delightful and inventive. Once the Brother discovers the Harlem drug scene, however, tale takes a rather unpleasant and, ultimately, confusing turn.
User Reviews
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Production Company
Anarchist's Convention Films,
UCLA Film and Television Archive,
A-Train Films
Release Date Sep 14, 1984
Duration 1 h 48 m
Rating R
Tagline Welcome to a world of crude beauty... of danger and excitement... of wonders, legend, and imagination... Welcome to Harlem, Brother.
Awards
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
